Public Address | Cafe | Capture: Ans Westra - Ngā Tau ki Muri (Our Future)

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:50:01 +1200

And lastly, on the subject of food: the children helped me prepare the plums which went into the pot on this occasion – it was free, windfall fruit which would have rotted on the ground if we hadn't picked it up. They then helped stir the pot, fish out the…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:41:52 +1200

One more photo about housing construction: old food packets – which would otherwise have gone into the recycling – were the chief components.

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:39:27 +1200

I can't imagine not being able to sew. When I was young I was fortunate to be taught how to sew as part of my primary school education, but without the help and inspiration of a dear family friend who had 'auntie' status, I may not have developed that capability.…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:32:06 +1200

I'm interested in housing and construction, as readers of a recent set of my articles will be well aware. A large portion of this I attribute to following my dad around when he was building.

As a young girl I experimented with housing design of more elementary nature, rather like…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:24:56 +1200

I've always love jigsaw puzzles, and still have a boxful which I browse through and make up from time to time. Some of these are from my childhood. I enjoyed making them up again – this time with the children. Problem-solving can be fun.

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:23:01 +1200

Creative expression through art can be wonderful. I have a good stock of beautiful colour pencils which I got out for my young friends to experiment with. These pencils had been gifted to me by another artist some years ago. She knows who she is! :-) I was happy to…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:19:21 +1200

This photo was taken when I was a youngster: bread and milk were delivered to the gate. (Note the complete absence of plastic.) These foods and other basics referred to as staples were heavily subsidised and therefore affordable to all. I remember when a pint of milk cost four cents,…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:58:14 +1200

That looks serene, Chris. An outing with the family?

I have some photos to put up next about the young people...

Chris Waugh

Sat, 13 Jul 2013 21:20:31 +1200

Great place to camp.

Well, I can think of worse things than dams to put up in these misty mountains.

Chris Waugh

Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:39:07 +1200

Landing.

Pavillion.

Homeward bound.

Chris Waugh

Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:20:59 +1200

I need a telephoto lens.

Cos these birds ain't dumb, they know to keep their distance.

Got me a dragonfly, though.

Chris Waugh

Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:36:16 +1200

The closest photo I could get. Most of the birds either stayed stubbornly hidden – even only a couple of metres away, I could see the reeds moving as they moved around – or far, far away. This one decided to make a run for it, but didn’t give me…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 08 Jul 2013 20:05:40 +1200

It does indeed. I think this video was taken on Saturday The woman who does most of the talking is local Labour MP Clare Curran.

There have been skirmishes up there today, and tonight people are occupying the site. Very cold for them but they say they are fine!

I’m…

Chris Waugh

Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:49:08 +1200

2 Degrees

The fight continues, I see.

Leigh Russell

Sun, 07 Jul 2013 13:38:32 +1200

Bryan Bruce's "Inside Child Poverty New Zealand" Facebook page is well worth following. If you are interested in lectures given by Prof Robert Wade on the subject of the increasing gap between rich and poor and what has happened to capitalism lecture places and dates are here

Lilith __

Sun, 07 Jul 2013 13:12:13 +1200

Fingers crossed for you and your dear ones, Chris! You can be assured a warm welcome when you do make it here. :-)

JacksonP

Sun, 07 Jul 2013 07:53:49 +1200

we’ll be out of here soon…

All the best Chris. Will be nice to have a beer with you when you find your way back home.

Chris Waugh

Sat, 06 Jul 2013 23:38:57 +1200

Thanks, Leigh, I think that's about the best photo I've ever taken with a cellphone.

And yes, fingers crossed...

Leigh Russell

Sat, 06 Jul 2013 22:27:40 +1200

Eurgh! regarding the cleaning session !!!
Fingers crossed regarding the application!
Oh, and very nice sky and cloud pic above.
Kia kaha...

Chris Waugh

Sat, 06 Jul 2013 21:50:56 +1200

Aiya. Just did the annual pre-summer cleaning of the fans.... Disassembly of the fans and cleaning of the parts left me, as usual, with a tub full of jet black "water" and fingers covered in thick, black "grease", and not from anything that should be in the fans, but from…

Chris Waugh

Fri, 05 Jul 2013 23:59:52 +1200

This is what afternoon skies are supposed to look like.

Leigh Russell

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 18:02:47 +1200

If you mean the beach here do let me know – I would be happy to give a rock pool tour of 'our' bit! :-)

Chris Waugh

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 17:48:24 +1200

No need to apologise, Leigh, I certainly wasn't meaning to get competitive about the air pollution, and we're working on moving somewhere cleaner than here.

Cripes, London 1952 sounds a lot worse than Beijing 2013! As bad as it may get here, I guess we've still got more efficient machines…

Leigh Russell

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 15:06:38 +1200

Chris, this is a special photo-pack of good clean beach air with 'clouds that have shape' – for your enjoyment.

Leigh Russell

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:25:30 +1200

A while back I wrote an article about air pollution prompted by a major forest fire burning out of control not far distant:

In it I quoted a passage I found in a book which described London's Great Smog of 1952 and its devastating effect which caused thousands of…

Leigh Russell

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:10:39 +1200

Hi Chris, firstly my apologies for what may have come across as insensitivity to your previous post. I am really sorry that the situation you are in is so bleak.

The parallel in my photo was one of smoke pollution and the sky as seen above the outline of the…

Sacha

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 11:48:56 +1200

I can see there might be problems with edges and borders

and safety.

Chris Waugh

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 23:43:27 +1200

Hi Leigh, I've got too many responses to your post. I'll try and distill them.

First of all, at least you can see that cloud. Days like today up here all that is visible beyond a few hundred metres is a uniform grey.

But so much depends on your circumstances,…

Leigh Russell

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 20:24:35 +1200

Hi Chris, here is one of mine on a similar theme.

When this smoke cloud mushroomed over the place here I wondered if a plane had crashed. I found out later that it was a burn-off of scrub on a hillside some miles distant. I was outraged to learn that…

Chris Waugh

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 20:01:13 +1200

Sinking sun yesterday afternoon. Today we're back to what the weather forecast says is "fog and light smog". Well, it certainly is at least partly fog.

Oh dear, seems I went a bit overboard playing with that photo....

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 17:05:34 +1200

Here is another of my favourite tools – a grubber. For certain jobs nothing equals the value of a well made suitably hefty one of these! I was gifted it by an elderly friend. If you fancy getting one of your own don't be taken in with modern light-weight ones…

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:59:22 +1200

Hello Ian and Nora, I have just recollected that the (old?) common term for these is 'hand' mower – which is even more ambiguous! :-)

Edges are a time-consuming matter, but think of all that lovely fresh air – and this is real hands-on contact with the earth and no…

Nora Leggs

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 14:40:35 +1200

I always wondered why there wasn’t a pull mower?
Though you might need a weight on it to keep it regular.
Pulling always seemed easier than pushing -

Well, of course you get both with your push-mower, cos once you've pushed it, you really have to pull it back again....…

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 14:06:49 +1200

a bonanza for the lawn green...
use a push mower
I always wondered why there wasn't a pull mower?
Though you might need a weight on it to keep it regular.
Pulling always seemed easier than pushing –
getting that correct angle to balance forward and down...
– I can…

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:42:28 +1200

In fact, why have lawns? Well, I really like to have some of this nice smooth greenery, but this frontage really challenges my preference – I absolutely love it! I’ve shown the ones I took of the boundary next to the footpath first so that what’s beyond it makes sense.…

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:31:42 +1200

One way smart and easy way to reduce world-wide consumption of fossil fuels is to use a push mower rather than a petrol powered one! The latter have their place but few of us have lawns that really need them. Okay, a push mower takes more time and effort, so?…

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:08:48 +1200

2 Degrees responded that "other sites were not compatible with the ''design needs of our network''." Pathetic!

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:44:49 +1200

Striving for a better world can involve resisting what I consider to be the boardroom bullying of big companies that should know better. In this case 2 Degrees advertises itself as being ‘fair’ on the part of customers. Really? I’ve written about a planned cell phone tower here: [[http://rushleigh-the-at-home-chronicle.blogspot.co.nz/2013/06/2-degrees-tower-to-go-ahead-despite.html|"2 Degrees…

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:41:06 +1200

Hm, he certainly takes the eye! :-)

Chris Waugh

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:34:43 +1200

Who is the chubby fellow?

No idea. He's just standing there outside the PKU School of Government with no explanation.

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 11:19:41 +1200

Wooow, that is impressive smog! Nice place when skies are clear by the look of it. Who is the chubby fellow?

Leigh Russell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 11:14:03 +1200

Owen Wilkes memorial bench

Hi Ian, thanks for mentioning this. I had a vague sense of who he was but no particular knowledge. A brave life with a tragic end. I shall look for the bench when I next visit and have a quiet sit there – a fittingly tranquil…

Chris Waugh

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:13:10 +1200

The big fella is still there, looking much happier in the shade of a tree and non-corrosive air.

Looking slightly north of due East down Chengfu Lu towards the PKU East Gate, the Western Hills as visible as they're supposed to be every day (hint: They frequently aren't, even from…

Chris Waugh

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:07:27 +1200

Compare and contrast…

January 2013, looking south from a bridge just north of the Peking University East Gate. I think I posted this already, but…

Same view, 19 June 2013. Amazing what a bit of rain and a breeze will do.

#onemorereasontogetthefamilybacktoAotearoaas soonastheImmigratioServiceallows

Leigh Russell

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:37:59 +1200

Oh, Barbadoes, of course – thank you Ian! :-)

Ian Dalziel

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:28:48 +1200

Butterfly Gap (on Madras Street?)
Corner of Worcester and Barbadoes streets...

Ian Dalziel

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:25:05 +1200

from the other side of the pond .
I'm guessing from close to the spot where the Owen Wilkes memorial bench is...

Leigh Russell

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:47:59 +1200

Some people act generously to others simply because that is their way. The large house that stood at this address was demolished due to earthquake damage. The massive old trees remained. My friend who lives next door mowed that frontage as well as his own – and even swept the…

Leigh Russell

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:32:54 +1200

In this context Gap Fillers, also of Christchurch, have to be mentioned: they are a heartwarming demonstration of the difference that small and highly motivated groups of individuals can make to a community. At a time when empty sections resulting from demolitions were to be found in ever increasing numbers…

Leigh Russell

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:20:28 +1200

This photo is of the same park taken some months later from the other side of the pond . It’s so pretty…

Leigh Russell

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:18:18 +1200

That small and decidedly personal collaboration with the City Council made me much more aware of the role local body councils have in planning, forming and maintaining our parks and reserves. These are such a vital part of the beauty and desirability of any community.

This is Beckenham Park in…

Leigh Russell

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:13:56 +1200

There were some lovely trees along that stream bank, but not all of them were suitable. I loved the macrocarpa next to the massive gum tree, but it was growing like Topsy and would become more and more unsuitable. I reluctantly asked the Council man if they would consider taking…

Leigh Russell

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:56:19 +1200

Continuing on about the stream bank I adopted in Christchurch, which was owned by the council and nominally under their care: it was in a strange and very awkward spot with difficult access through the back of our place. When I first started doing that clearance I did it without…

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:43:55 +1200

Thanks, and I found the Dunedin equivalent which I've linked to for anyone who is interested.

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:33:03 +1200

I rang the Council, asked. There is a section easily findable on their site. I wrote a letter with photos and address no. Submitted about 10 trees that day in our Street . Pohutakawas and a gorgeous Erithina Crystagalli ((??) I got the other st lady to put her name…

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:18:14 +1200

the 10m oak was coming down in the morning. Myself and another Street member had put it forward for protection

Sofie, how did you go about that? And was the tree on public or private land? Although the bylaws are probably different here in Dunedin there are likely to be…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:02:38 +1200

Cool. I thought it was too.
and well done China! Baby steps are going to get big quickly. Good news everyone!
(Futurama)

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:52:05 +1200

convoys of wind turbine blades awaiting delivery

Applause!!!

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:50:36 +1200

this link Kepa Rd Project and has suggested they need volunteers

Sofie, what an amazing effort! I've added both those links to the side bar of my At Home Chronicle. Am really pleased to hear of the Conservation Volunteers Trust as I didn't know of them at all.

Chris Waugh

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:31:42 +1200

More good news.... convoys of wind turbine blades awaiting delivery, Badaling Economic Development Area, last month. They ain't perfect, but they do represent less coal burnt. I was surprised how vast this complex was and just how many turbine blades there were ready to go, and more in various stages…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:12:15 +1200

I do believe that all our conservation efforts, big or small, should be celebrated

I have a friend (dont look so surprised ;) who has taken it upon himself to berid one side of the Orakei Basin on the Ngapipi Rd side of vermon for the past years . He…

Islander

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:46:03 +1200

Encouraging each other is so important. Solidarity with you and High Fives everyone.

Kia ora tatou!

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:31:47 +1200

Hi Sofie, how shattering about the tree being felled. Tragic.

I do believe that all our conservation efforts, big or small, should be celebrated – efforts made even if they are unsuccessful at the time, as well as our achievements. Encouraging each other is so important. Solidarity with you and…

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:25:08 +1200

reminded me of The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono.

Jackson, thank you so much for posting this. It is very special – and moved me to tears. Inspirational.

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:12:20 +1200

Just a couple of pretties….

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:57:24 +1200

An hour earlier in West Five Li Camp – the good news, those mountains are being reforested and just over the other side is a nature reserve set up to protect leopards.

Wonderful :)

Chris Waugh

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:26:39 +1200

ok Here’s the new driveway that nobody can touch .

Beautiful.

Late yesterday afternoon, with the sky clean enough for natural awesomeness, waiting for the lights to let me pass under the G7 Beijing – Xinjiang Expressway (visible, mostly carries heavy trucks) and the Datong – Qinhuangdao Railway (hidden, kilometres-long…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:36:08 +1200

In the last six months three large trees have been removed from nearby gardens. My first sadness is for the trees and all the parts of the local environment they are supporting. Then there is the selfish sadness, my lush green view has become open and bare.

Your sadness ,…

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:59:21 +1200

Hi Nora, yes, I get overwhelmed too. It makes me weep with despair. The way I deal with that is to actively grasp everything in my path that can make any difference at all. This is what I write about so much of the time. All of us have got…

JacksonP

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:55:15 +1200

I was very fortunate to meet Ans at the book launch, and I mentioned to her that her book, and the sentiment in it, reminded me of The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono.

You can listen and watch an animation of it here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ampqPdTV_z0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ltuEA63hA

Although I made…

Nora Leggs

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:28:05 +1200

I'm with you too Leigh – just shy about making anything but simple, flippant statements about pictures!

In the last six months three large trees have been removed from nearby gardens. My first sadness is for the trees and all the parts of the local environment they are supporting. Then…

Leigh Russell

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:06:56 +1200

Plastic has it’s place (several of my immediate family are nurses/midwives/doctors, and, quite frankly, medical hygiene has been hugely enhanced by various forms of plastic…

I am sure you are right.

My concern is about waste products and the effect these have on the environment. In a domestic setting I…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:52:55 +1200

And now for a little look at a place next to where I lived in Christchurch. It was a stream bank which the Council contractors occasionally cleared and which I decided to adopt. Over the space of a couple of years it changed from being a mass of weeds and…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:39:13 +1200

I know lots about ANZ clans of both.

Yes indeed! And sleep well. :-)

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:36:52 +1200

I wanted to get the person who did this and bang their head against that wall. How could they be so stupid. They probably thought they were tidying the place up a bit. At the very least I hope they regretted it.

Islander

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:35:44 +1200

m sure the birds did too (birds eat insects, remember).

Um, last post for the night: I have loved birds and insects since I was conscious. Some birds eat insects: some insects eat birds. I know lots about ANZ clans of both.
Part of the joy of being a human…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:34:20 +1200

Some weeks or months later, I can’t remember exactly, I went for a walk to be confronted by the tree’s devastation – and the exposure of what must surely be one of the ugliest walls in creation. Yes, that's it dead centre – to coin a phrase...

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:31:02 +1200

I got some lovely close-up shots of it at the same time as I took the photograph above…

Islander

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:30:57 +1200

earn how to do it and enjoy the bounty! It’s not difficult.

And then I see your apple-tree/fruit pics!
Cheers!

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:30:08 +1200

And then there is this tree – another apple tree. I don't recall seeing fruit on it, but it was a very restful and pleasing concealer of a particularly ugly wall along the road not far from my place. The insects loved it, and I'm sure the birds did too…

Islander

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:27:21 +1200

e meantime I will add some photos about what I call tree carnage and some thoughts about valuing rather than destroying these very special members of our communities. Yes, to me trees are like people…

A loong time ago, a group was formed on the West Coast. It was called…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:26:51 +1200

I can't tell you how many jars of preserves my sister and I made, and the number of bags full that we gave away. My recipe for preserving apples can be found here: Preserved apples ~ a good fruit sugar and water ratio Learn how to do it and **enjoy…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:17:45 +1200

That tree had worked so hard. Here it is. Isn’t it beautiful! The owner of the property, an energetic man, didn't use the apples at all and was happy for us to take them all. If we hadn't taken them he would just have mowed over the top of them.…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:14:50 +1200

My sister and I picked and picked and picked. You can see a small portion of the wonderful harvest we reaped…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:13:47 +1200

That tree was loaded!

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:12:46 +1200

Look at this scrumptious apple – it's one of my favourite images. I picked it from the neglected tree of a former neighbour. It was as good as it looked!

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:10:17 +1200

Hi Chris and Islander, nice to have some company here. Chris, I totally understand about the overwhelm. Islander, like you I see individual responsibility as being a large part of the solution to the problem.

I have begun a long project to gradually rid my household of plastic objects, starting…

Islander

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:17:47 +1200

Plastic kills.

Indeedy…

Because I walk beaches a lot, I always carry on my person a tightly-folded plastic shopping bag (yeah, I know, the irony etc. etc.-)They fit into a 3cmx5cm
resealable bag…air squished out, that'll fit the smallest pocket-

And I pick up plastic of all kinds – from…

Chris Waugh

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:57:47 +1200

Hi Leigh. I could certainly add plenty of photos of human destruction of our earth, and I have put photos including large coal-fired power stations that kind of hint at that in other threads, but it just gets too depressing. I'm loving what you're posting, though, and thoroughly agree with…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:34:20 +1200

I'm disappointed that this thread has not been taken up by other contributors as Ans book highlights such important subjects – as I understand it, our relationship with this beautiful land, and our plans for the future. Oh well, I'm going to go ahead and add some more photos of…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:12:21 +1200

I also have to post this photo. See if you can spot what is wrong in it. Fortunately I knew that duck well enough to catch it, pick it up and cut the damn thing off its neck. These plastic rings are a terrible hazard to wildlife. I have seen…

Leigh Russell

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:59:16 +1200

Hi again Jackson, thanks for the links. I saw that the story about the grazing land was coming up and couldn't bear to watch it – so upsetting. Industry and its view of the natural world as a set of commodities makes me sick at heart. Very important to keep…

JacksonP

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:39:01 +1200

Thanks for joining in Leigh. Last night's Campbell Live on the dumping of toxic waste by Petrochem in Taranaki, on farms grazed by milk producing cows, is yet another example of how reckless we can be with both the health of the land, and those living on it, through profit…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:56:35 +1200

The photo is of a young shag which was resting on our beach.

Continuing on the theme of ecological ir/responsibility and the vexed question of what we each can do about it my response is that we can each Do a Great Deal. I've written a whole spread of articles…

Leigh Russell

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:32:29 +1200

Hi Jackson, thanks for posting this. I had an emotional response to it as my sentiments are similar. It seems to me that we are a careless nation – “Insouciance” could well be our middle name, dragged low into complacency by having such a low population density and being surrounded…

Ethan Tucker

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:12:27 +1200

Was lucky to pick up Westra’s 1976 book with Noel Hilliard, Wellington: City Alive yesterday in a second-hand shop and it’s such a treat. From her photos its easy to see how the mid-70s in the capital and the rest of NZ were closer to D-Day than they are to…

Lilith __

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:47:50 +1200

Great stuff. Look forward to seeing the book.

Public Address

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:47:50 +1200

Discussion from blog post.